Rotary engine.



M. ANGERMANN.

-R0TARY ENGINE..

PATBNTED NOV. 20, 1.906.

APPLIOATION FILED 11.13.28, 190e.

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PATENTED NOV. 20, 1906.

M. ANGBRMANN.

ROTARY ENGINE. APPLICATION P11131) HAB. 28, 1906.

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MAX ANGERMANN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ROTARY ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented N ov. 20, 1906.

Application filed March 28, 1906. Serial No. 308,506.

To tl/f whom, it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, MAX ANGERMANN, a citizen of the Empire of Germany,residing in New York, in the borough of Manhattan, county and State ofNew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in RotaryEngines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in rotary engines in which aplurality of cylinders is arranged concentrically around a common shaft,in connection with a corresponding number of pistons in said cylinders,both cylinders and pistons turning in the same direction, in connectionwith an auxiliary shaft and suitable transmitting mechanism, spo thatrotary motion in one and the same direction is imparted to the auxiliaryshaft, from which the power is taken 0H", the dead-points overcome, anda constant force in all positions of the movable parts of the engineobtained; and the invention consists of a rotary engine in which aplurality of cylinders is arranged in groups around a center shaft andoperated in connection with pistons located in the same and connectedwith said shaft by a disk mounted thereon and suitable supply andexhaust channels for the fluid driving medium, said channels beinglocated in said shaft and an auxiliary shaft provided with gear-wheelsmeshing with special gear-wheels on the center shaft and the hubs of thecylinder-supporting frame, as will be more fully described hereinafterand finally pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l represents a side elevation of myimproved rotary engine. Fig. 2 is a lan view o f the same. Fig. 3 is avertical ongitudinal section online 3 3, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a horizontalsection on line 4 4, Fig. 1. Figs. 5 and 6 are vertical longitudinalsections through the cylinders, showing the position of the cylindersand pistons after two successive admissions of the driving medium. Figs.7 and 8 are diagrams for illustrating, respectively, the motion of thecylinders and the motion of the pistons during one full rotation of theengine. Fig. 9 shows a vertical section of a modified arrangement of thecylinders with straight axes for the cylinders and pistons, and Fig. 10shows a modified construction of a pair of transmitting gear-wheels withvarying angular velocity to be used in place of the pairs of gear-wheelsfor transmitting motion between the auxiliary shaft and thecylindersupporting casing.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in thedifferent figures of the drawings.

My improved rotary engine consists of a plurality of cylinders c, whichare arranged in groups of two around a center shaft s, and of acorresponding number of pistons b, one in each cylinder, which areconnected in pairs by piston-rods b', the center portions of which areattached to diametrical arms d of a disk d, that is keyed to the centershaft s. The two adjacent cylinders c of each group are made to abutagainst each other by their adjacent heads and are supported by acylindrical casing c, the hubs c2 of which turn freely on bushings c3placed on the center shaft s, as shown clearly in Fig. 4. The cylinders,pistons, and piston-rods are curved so as to form arcs of a circleconcentric with the axis of the center shaft s, one pair of cylindersbeing separated from the other diagonally opposite pair by open spaces,so as to permit the connection of the piston-rods with the radial armsof the disk d, the connecting- Walls of the supporting-casing betweenthe heads of the two pairs of cylinders being provided with openings d2for the arms d of the disk d. The center shaft s is supported injournal-bearings of two upright standards e, which are attached to acommon bed-plate or to the iioor of the building. The standards e aremade of sufficient width to support also the journal-bearingsfor asecond auxiliary shaft s', which is located parallel with the centershaft and to which a pulley is applied for transmitting the powergenerated by the rotary engine to a counter-shaft for furthertransmission.

In the adjacent heads of the cylinders c of each pair or group arearranged the admission-ports p for the steam or other driving medium,said admission-ports being connected by radial channels p in thesupporting-casing c of the cylinders c with the ports in the abuttingheads and with an ingoing bore p2 in the center shaft s for theadmission of the driving medium, while the exhaustports p3 are likewiseconnected with radial channels p4 in the casing c', with a bore p5 inthe opposite end of the center shaft s for the exhaust of the drivingmedium, as shown clearly in Figs. 2, 3, and 4. The pistons b are movedby the driving medium in the cyl- IOC inders c from one end to theother` and impart thereby intermittent rotary motion to thesupporting-disk d, with which they are connected by the radial arms d.The disk d is keyed to the shaft s and serves to rotate the same. Thedriving medium is admitted to one cylinder of each pair of cylinders cat the same time, so that at one admission of steam or other fluiddriving medium in a four-cylinder engine two diametrically oppositepistons are moved, while by the second or successive admission of thedriving medium to the other two cylinders the cylinders are actuated bythe same.

The motion imparted to the center shaft s is transmitted to theauxiliary shaft s by means of a pair of gear-wheels g g2. The gear-wheelg is keyed to the shaft s, while the gear-wheel g2 is keyed to theauxiliary shaft s. Two additional gear-wheels g3 g5 are likewise keyedto the auxiliary shaft s, while two gear-wheels g4 g, intermeshing withthe gear-wheels g3 g5, are keyed to the hubs of the casing c, supportingthe cylinders c As soon as the driving medium is admitted to one pair ofdiametrically opposite cylinders c in the position shown in Figs. 1 and3 the pistons of the same are moved forward and carry thereby the disk dand the gear-wheel g along in the direction indicated by the arrows.From the gear-wheel g motion is transmitted by the gear-wheel g2 to theauxiliary shaft s and thereby to the gear-wheels g3 and g5. Thegear-wheels g gv2 are provided with teeth along their entirecircumference, so as to be continuously in mesh with each other, whilethe gear-wheels g3 g5 and the gear-wheels g4 g intermeshing therewithare provided alternately with toothed and untoothed portions, but insuch a manner that the toothed portions of the gear-wheel g3 alternatewith the toothed portions of the gear-wheel g5 and engage alternatelywith each other the intermeshing gear-wheels g4 96. The gear-wheels g4gi are also provided with alternately toothed and untoothed portions, asshown clearly in Figs, 1 and 2, so as to impart successively motion tothe cylinders or pistons, according as the gearwheels g5 g or 9v3 g4 arein mesh with each other. The alternating intermeshing of the gear-wheelsg3 g4L and g5 gG corresponds to the length of the strokes of thepistons. The motion of the cylinders follows the advance motion impartedto the pistons by the driving medium, and after a new admission of thedriving medium the motion of the pistons follows the advance motionimparted to the cylinders. This is illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, Fig. 5showing the position of the cylinders and pistons after the firstadmission of the driving medium and Fig. 6 the position of the sameafter the second admission. When the cylinders and pistons arrive in theposition shown in Fig. 5, the second admission of the driving mediumtakes place, but through the admission-ports leading tdthe second pairof diametrically opposite cylinders, the force of the admission of thedriving medium acting on the heads of both pairs of cylinders, so thatthe cylinders are moved quicker in the direction of the arrow shown inFig. 5, the pistons following immediately the advance motion of thecylinders until both pairs of cylinders and the pistons assume theposition shown in Fig. 6. ln this position the first pair ofdiametrically opposite cylinders is again supplied with the drivingmedium so as to actuate their pistons, which are then moved again in thesame manner through the next sixth of a rotation, until after sixsuccessive admissions the cylinders as well as the pistons arrive againin the starting position. (Shownin Fig.3.) During the successive motionsof the pistons around the center shaft s they move successively throughangles of sixty degrees, as shown in Fig. 8, their successive positionsbeing indicated by the Roman numerals I to Vl in Fig. 8, while thesuccessive positions of the cylinders are indicated by the ordinarynumerals l to 6-that is to say, the cylinders are moving after the firstadmission through an angle of thirty degrees in following the pistons,while at the second admission they are moved through an angle of ninetydegrees, movingin advance of the corresponding motion of the pistons,and so on. The alternating advance of the pistons, followed by themotion of the cylinders, and the advance of the cylinders, followed bythe pistons, produces for every six admissions of the driving medium onefull rotation of the pistons and cylinders. When the toothed portions ofthe gear-wheels g5 g6 are in mesh, motion is transmitted to thecylinders in the direction of the arrows from the auxiliary shaft s,driven by the pistons and the intermeshing gear-wheels g g2, thecylinders following, therefore, the advance motion of the pistons. Whenthe toothed portions of the gearwheels g3 g4 are in mesh, the motion ofthe cylinders in the direction of the arrows is produced directly by thedriving medium and the cylinders are driving by the gearwheels g3 g4 theauxiliary shaft s/ from which the pistons are driven by the gear-wheelsg gZ so as to follow the advance motion of the cylinders. The power maybe taken olf from the auxiliary shaft by means of a pulley-and-belttransmission or by other means or from the center shaft, as desired. ltis preferable to take the transmission from the auxiliary shaft, as thecenter shaft is used for the admission and exhaust of the driving mediumand rotated with variable angular velocity.

ln place of arranging the groups of cylinders in arcs of a circleconcentric with the center shaft s they may be arranged with IOO IIO

straight axes atan angle toward each other, in the form of a hexagon incase four cylinders are used, as shown in Fig. 9, in which case,however, the connecting piston-rods have to be pivoted to the pistonsand to the radial arms of the disk, so as to provide for the requiredflexibility of the parts. In this case the adjacent heads of thecylinders instead of being parallel to each other are located at anangle to each other, as shown ino Fig. 9. In place of the steam or otheriiuid driving medium the engine can be driven by the force of anexplosive gas-and-air mixture, in which case the engine is constructedas an explosion-engine and the explosive mixture supplied to thedifferent cylinders in the same manner as the steam, the advance of thepistons alternating with that of the cylind ers, followed by the motionof the respective cylind ers and pistons, as before described. rlheexplosion-engine, however, requires the arrangement of suitable ignitersand other accessories in addition to the admission and exhaust ports. Inplace of the pairs of transmitting gear-wheels g3 g4 and g5 g, providedwith alternating toothed and untoothed portions, gears with varyingangular velocity may be employed, as shown in Fig. 10, or any othertransmitting mechanisms may be used by which the required motion isalternately' imparted from the auxiliary shaft to the hubs of thecylinder-supporting casing and from the cylinders to the auxiliary shafts.

The operation of the improved rotary engine is as follows: When thedriving medium `is introduced between the cylinderheads and pistons oftwo pairs of diametrically opposite cylinders, as shown in the initialposition in Fig. 3, then the pressure in the cylinders imparts by thepistons to the connecting-disk and to the supporting-casing of thecylinders an equal but oppositely-acting turning moment of the value M,the turning moment of the pistons being in the direction of the arrowson the disk. In the position shown in Figs. 1 and 3 the gear-wheels g5 gare in mesh and the gear-wheels g3 g4 are out of mesh. The disk d, towhich the pistons are connected, transmits by the gear-wheels g g2,whose diameters are in the proportion of one to two, a turning moment tothe auxiliary shaft s of the value of 2 XM in the direction indicated bythe arrows on the auxiliary shaft s, Figs. 1 and 3. Thecylinder-supporting casing c transmits simultaneously t-o the auxiliaryshaft s by the gear-wheels g5 gs, whose diameters are equal or one toone, an oppositely acting turning moment 1 X M. rlhe difference betweenthe two" turning moments 2 XM 1 X M 1 X M is the effective turningmoment or force obtained in the direction of the arrow shown on theauxiliary shaft s', Figs. 1 and 3. In consequence of the larger ratio ofthe gear-wheels g g2 the. casing ofthe cylinders is compelled to followby the intermediate pairs of gear-wheels g5 g6 in the same direction ofrotation as the disk, but with a retardation which corresponds to theproportion of the transmitting gear-wheels. The advance motion of thedisk d takes place as long as the smaller gear ratio g5 g isoperating-that is to say, for a y the cylinders an equal butoppositely-acting turning moment Vof the value M, now the moment of thecylinders having the direction of the arrows on the cylinders, Figs. 3and 1. The casing c transmits by the gearwheels g3 g4, whose diametersare in the proportion of one to three, a turning moment to f theauxiliary shaft s of the value 3 X M, having the direction of the arrowson the auxiliary shaft s, Figs. 1 and 3. The disk d, supporting thepistons, transmits simultaneously to the auxiliary shaft s by thegear-wheels g/ and g2, whose diameters are in the proportion of one totwo, the oppositely-acting turning moment equals 2 X M. vThe differencebetween thetwo moments (1 XM) is the effective turning momentobtained-and acts in the direction of the arrow on the auxiliary shafts', Figs. 1 and 3-that is to say, this difference has the same directionas before the difference 2 M 1 M. In consequence of the larger ratio ofthe gear-wheels g3 g4 the disk of the pistons is compelled to follow bythe gear-wheels g g2 in the same direction of rotation as the casing ofthe cylinders, but with a retardation which corresponds to theproportion of the transmitting gear-wheels. The advance motion of thecylinders takes place as long as the gear ratio g3 g4 is operating-thatis to say, for a length equal to the stroke of the piston. Vhen thecylinders and pistons arrive at the end of the stroke, they are in theposition shown in Fig. 6, the smaller gear ratio g5 g6 being called intoaction and the gear-wheels g4 g3 placed out of mesh. Then again followsthe action of the gear-wheels g5 g8, a new admission of the drivingmedium, and the same actuation of the pistons, disk, and intermediatetransmitting gear-wheels.

By the mechanism described the pistons and cylinders and the partsconnected with the same are set into rotary motion, which takes placealways at a variable angular velocity, so that by properly proportionedtransmissions between the center shaft and auxiliary shaft a constantturning moment, which corresponds to the pressure of the driying mediumin the cylinders, may be transmitted tothe auxiliary shaft. It isobvious that the engine can also be used, when driven by suitable power,as a compressor or pump analogous with other rotary engines. As theengine has no dead-points and as the turning moments obtained areconstant and of the same direction and value, the engine transmits thedifferent motions of the pistons and'cylinders into effective anduniform rotary motion.

The motion of the pistons after every two admissions of the drivingmedium is always of the same length and direction and equal with themotion of the cylinders after two admissions. The motion results fromthe two different angular velocities with which the pistons andcylinders are alternately moved and depends on the chosen ratios of thetransmitting gear-wheels. Other ratios must naturally give otherpositions ofthe cylinders and pistons than those shown in the diagrams,Figs. 7 and 8, and also another resulting motion after every twoadmissions of the driving medium. Other ratios of the gearwheels willalso give turning moments of different values on the auxiliary shaft. Itfollows, therefore, that the smaller the rotary motion of the pistons orcylinders resulting from two admissions of the driving medium the largerwill be the resulting turning moments on the auxiliary shaft. It isobvious that the smallest amount of said resulting motion will beobtained when pistons and cylinders are simultaneously moved in oppositedirections, which motion may 'be obtained by using gear-wheeltransmission giving reciprocating motion.

Having thus described my invention, l claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. A rotary engine comprising a center shaft, pairsof cylinders arranged in groups around the same, a casin T connectingthe cylinders with the center shaft, pistons in said cylinders, a diskon the center shaft connected with the piston-rods of the pistons, anauxiliary shaft, and a transmitting mechanism between the cylinders,pistons and the auxiliary shaft, said transmitting mechanism being soarranged that at each stroke of the pistons thev proportion between thetwodifferent ratios of the transmitting mechanism connectingsimultaneously the cylinders with the auxiliary shaft and the pistonswith the auxiliary shaft is suddenly changed, and that said changes takeplace for a number of` times for each rotation of the engine.

2. A rotary engine comprising a center shaft, pairs of cylindersarranged in groups around said shaft, pistons in said cylinders, meansfor connecting the cylinders with the center shaft, means for connectingthe pistons with the center shaft, an auxiliary shaft, and atransmitting mechanism between the cylinders, pistons and the auxiliaryshaft, said transmitting mechanism being so arranged that with theadmission of the driving medium to the cylinders rotary motion ofdifferent angular velocity is simultaneously imparted to the cylindersand to the pistons, and that during the action of the driving medium thespeed of the pistons in no moment is equal to the speed of thecylinders, whereby dead-points are avoided.

3. A rotary engine comprising a center shaft, groups of cylinders arraned around said center shaft, pistons in saic cylinders, means forconnecting said cylinders and pistons with the center shaft, anauxiliary shaft, and transmitting mechanism between the cylinders andpistons and the auxiliary shaft, said transmitting mechanism being' soarranged that with the successive admissions of the driving medium tothe cylinders a relative greater angular velocity is alternatelyimparted to the cylinders and to the pistons,

and that at each new admission a change of speed takes place suddenly soas to avoid any dead-points of the engine.

4. A rotary engine comprising a center shaft, groups of cylindersarranged around said center shaft, pistons in said cylinders, means forconnecting said cylinders and pistons with the center shaft, anauxiliary shaft, and transmitting mechanism between the cylindersand'pistons and the auxiliary shaft, said transmitting mechanism beingso arranged that with the admission of the driving medium rotary motionof different angular velocity is imparted simultaneously to the pistonsand to the cylinders and that the proportion between the speed of thecylinders and the speed of the pistons remains constant, so as to obtainthereby during the admission of the driving medium a resulting turningmoment of constant value on the auxiliary shaft if the pressure in thecylinders is constant.

5. A rotary engine comprising a center shaft, groups of cylindersarranged around said center shaft, pistons in said cylinders, means forconnecting said cylinders and pistons with the center shaft, anauxiliary shaft, and transmitting mechanism between the cylinders andpistons and the auxiliary shaft, said transmitting mechanism being soarranged that by the successive admission of the driving medium to thecylinders a relative greaterV angular velocity is alternately impartedto the pistons and to the cylinders, whereby the proportion of thedifferent velocities remains constant, but changing suddenly at eachsuccessive admission of the driving medium, thus causing resultingturning moments on the auxiliary shaft in thek same direction and of aconstant value if the pressure in the cylinders is constant.

6. In a rotary engine, the combination of a center shaft, cylindersarranged in pairs around said center shaft, a casing connecting thecylinders with the center shaft, pistons in said cylinders, piston-rods,a disk connecting the piston-rods with the center shaft, a continuousgear-wheel connection between the pistons and the auxiliary shaft,gear-wheels having toothed and untoothed portions in connection with thecylinders, and gearwheels having toothed and untoothed portions on theauxiliary shaft, meshing alternately with the gear-wheels on thecylinderoasing, or the opposite arrangement, the continuous gear-wheelconnection between the cylinders and the auxiliary shaft and the specialgear-wheels between the pistons and the auxiliary shaft.

7. In a rotary engine, the combination of a center shaft, cylindersarranged around the center shaft, a casing supporting the cylindersthereon, pistons in said cylinders, a disk on the center shaft connectedwith the pistonrods of the pistons, an auxiliary shaft, a continuousgear-wheel connection between the pistons and the auxiliary shaft, and aserl of special gear-wheels between the cylindersupporting casing andthe auxiliary shaft, said set of gear-wheels containing differentratios,whioh change suddenly and several times for one revolution theirvalue, or the opposite arrangement, the continuous gearwheel connectionbetween the cylinders and the auxiliary shaft and the specialO"earwheels between the pistons and the auxi iary shaft.

S. In a rotary engine, the combination of a center shaft, cylindersarranged around the center shaft, a casing supporting the cylindersthereon, pistons in said cylinders, a disk on the center shaft connectedwith the pistonrods of the pistons, an auxiliary shaft, a set of specialgear-wheels between the auxiliary shaft and the cylinder-supportingcasing, said set of gear-wheels containing different ratios, whichchange suddenly and several times for one revolution their value, a setof special gear-wheels between the pistons and the auxiliary shaft, saidset of gear-wheels containing different ratios, which change suddenlyand several times for one revolution their value.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed myname in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MAX ANGE RMANN Witnesses PAUL GOEPEL, HENRY J. SUHRBIER.

